Man’s best friend may also be a college student’s best buddy, new research suggests. A recent study found that dog therapy can ease homesickness in first-year college students and possibly reduce their risk of dropping out.
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“Transitioning from high school to university can prove to be a challenge for many first-year students,” John Tyler Binfet, an assistant professor at the University of British Columbia in Canada, said in a school news release.
“Given that students who experience homesickness are more likely than their non-homesick [peers] to drop out of university, universities have a vested interest in supporting students during their first-year transition,” he said.
Binfet and his colleagues recruited 44 homesick first-year students. Half of that group went to eight weekly dog therapy sessions. The sessions lasted 45 minutes. The students interacted with dogs, their handlers, and fellow study participants.
The other 22 homesick students didn’t take part in dog therapy. They served as the control group for the study. After eight weeks, students getting dog therapy said they were much less homesick and had significantly higher satisfaction with life. For students in the control group, levels of homesickness got worse, the study authors found. Students in the dog therapy group said their sessions “felt like they were at home chatting with friends who brought their puppies,” the researchers said.
Further research is needed, but these findings suggest that by promoting social connections, universities may help reduce first-year student dropout rates, Binfet said. “Homesick students are three times more likely than those who manage their homesickness to disengage and drop out of university,” he noted.
The study was published recently in the journal Anthrozoos, according to an article titled “Dog therapy helps boost students’ life satisfaction, researchers say,” by Robert Preidt in HealthDay Reporter.
I participated in a past three-day experiment with students at the University of Maine at Presque Isle (UMPI), which proved very successful. Although the purpose to bring in animals was not for homesickness, it was planned as a stress reliever during the week of finals.
On the first day I brought in a 14-week-old black lab named Bruno. Bruno had fun with approximately 30 students. On the second day, I brought in three 7-week-old kittens from the Central Aroostook Humane Society (CAHS) for students to play with and hold. On the third day I had staff and faculty members bring in their senior dogs for a total of six dogs.
It was amazing to see the interaction with the students, many of whom shared their own stories about their pets. Not only did the students benefit. but the animals did also. Much love was shared.
Please consider making room in your heart and home for one of the animals available at the Central Aroostook Humane Society. Visit us at 26 Cross Street in Presque Isle. Hours of operation are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday (closed for lunch from 12 to 12:30 pm).
“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” ― Mahatma Gandhi.
Nancy G. Nichols is a member of the Board of Directors of the Central Aroostook Humane Society.
